Sydney Roosters duo James Tedesco and Drew Hutchison have backed Head Coach Trent Robinson’s statements following their Round 24 match, and are looking towards taking on the Canberra Raiders in their final match of the regular season.
Following a controversial match against arch-rivals South Sydney, both Tedesco and Hutchison supported Robinson’s comments post-match and praised their mentor’s support throughout what has been a turbulent season.
“It’s huge, Robbo’s been the backbone and leading us guys who have been through a lot of adversity through injuries and setbacks,” stated Tedesco.
“Robbo’s just stuck solid. He’s instilled a belief in our team and our Club that it doesn’t matter what happens, we can get the job done.
“It was disappointing with the end result. I think there were a few frustrating parts about it and I think it’s good for Robbo to speak his mind. A lot of people found that it was a positive.
Round 25 Media - James Tedesco
“There definitely have been some inconsistencies,” Hutchison said.
“No one really knows what is a send-off and what is a sin-bin, and I do agree with him in a way.
“He didn’t go over the top, he did it in quite a smart way and he just wants the best for his players and that’s the same thing that we want.
“He sets the standards every week and every day at training, when you see him go in and bat for us it makes you appreciate what we have. It makes us really want to play for him and turn in a better performance next week.
“We want the same consistency that we should be getting.”
We’ve got to win this week against Canberra and then whoever we have will be our next job. It doesn’t matter if we’re top four and we get a week off or not, we’ve just got to keep winning every week.
James Tedesco Sydney Roosters Captain
Tedesco also gave an update on Joseph Manu, who underwent successful surgery following successful facial reconstruction surgery, confirming that the dual Premiership-winning centre was in good spirits following a nasty hit.
“He sent through a photo and looked pretty banged up but he’s recovering and all good,” the Roosters captain confirmed.
“He seems in good spirits. Joey’s a pretty relaxed and cool, calm and collected guy. He was a bit frustrated at the time but he’s sweet now and sending through photos and positive vibes.
“We’ve had so many different injuries, but we’ve got a few guys back this week as well which is really pleasing. Obviously, we’ve been down on troops, another one goes down we’ve got another one stepping up hopefully.
Round 25 Media - Drew Hutchison
“It sucks for Joey. He doesn’t miss many games and he’s played the past three or four years. He hasn’t really had any major injuries and he’s played his best footy this year. It’s disappointing for him. He’s been one of our best for sure.”
“It was tough to read. No one really saw it in play and we just sort of continued to play. When we saw the replay we noticed there was contact with the head. It was all happening pretty quickly and I was making sure that Joey was alright.”
The Roosters will also be looking to welcome back a number of teammates to the side following successful returns from injury including Josh Morris, Adam Keighran and Matt Ikuvalu as they face the Raiders in Mackay on Thursday night in the final round of the regular season.
Tedesco and Hutchison say that the Roosters are firmly focused on the task at hand, and also praised the young contingent of debutants that have been given an opportunity to shine through the year.
“Last week was a setback and not what we had planned,” Tedesco stated.
“We’ve got to win this week against Canberra and then whoever we have will be our next job. It doesn’t matter if we’re top four and we get a week off or not, we’ve just got to keep winning every week.
“What guys have had to go through week-in-week-out it’s been disappointing and frustrating, but it’s also been positive for a lot of guys who wouldn’t have thought they’d play a lot of footy this year or even debut.
Robbo has really harped on how we’ve got to bounce back and I think the short turnaround will be good for us. We’ll be getting back to playing some footy.
Drew Hutchison On playing the Raiders
“I think it’s really cool to see this young group of guys. They’re all coming together and all looking to get better every week and to play their best footy.
“I’m pretty proud of our team of what we’ve had to go through, where we still are on the table and there’s still a lot of fire in us. It’s an exciting couple of weeks coming up and we’re ready to take the challenge on.
“I think he’s still got to do a few strength tests and it’s a bit touch and go with hammies. Fingers crossed JMoz comes in and Adsy (Adam Keighran) and Matty (Ikuvalu) as well.”
“Robbo has really harped on how we’ve got to bounce back and I think the short turnaround will be good for us. We’ll be getting back to playing some footy,” Hutchison added.
“We trained today, and the mood was back up again. We’re just really looking forward to these next couple of weeks and it’s a pretty exciting time for the squad.”
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